The World Bank Group logo
publicationNovember 7, 2023

Hot Water Rising: The Impact of Climate Change on Indonesia’s Fisheries and Coastal Communities

Indonesia fisherman

The World Bank

Climate change is driving the increase in water temperatures, storm severity, sea level rise, and causing shifts in coastal ecosystems and fisheries. These trends pose challenges for Indonesia’s ocean economy and the people it supports. A new collaborative report by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the University of British Columbia and the World Bank provides knowledge and recommendations on mitigation measures related to the impacts of climate change on fisheries, the economy, and coastal communities in Indonesia.

Summary:

Indonesia fisheries and climate change report
With 17,504 islands, 108,000 kilometers of coastline, and three-quarters of its territory at sea, Indonesia’s prosperity is deeply entwined with its oceans. Yet the future for Indonesia’s oceans, like those worldwide, is increasingly uncertain. Climate change is driving increases in water temperatures, storm severity, and sea level rise, causing shifts in coastal ecosystems and fisheries. These trends pose challenges for Indonesia’s ocean economy and the people it supports.

Indonesia’s fisheries are at the center of these challenges. The fisheries sector contributes. US$26.9 billion annually to the national economy (around 2.6 percent of GDP), 50 percent of the country’s protein, and over 7 million jobs. The impact of climate change on the fisheries sector will thus have important implications for livelihoods, food security, and economic growth. While this is true around the world, few countries have fishery resources as vast as Indonesia’s or depend as much as Indonesia does on fisheries for jobs and protein.

As this report highlights, the importance of ensuring productive and sustainable fisheries in the face of a changing climate is well-recognized. The Government of Indonesia is taking steps toward a climate-resilient marine and coastal economy through investment in infrastructure, technology, capacity-building, and governance. To learn more, download our report here.